Priming for Paint - Prime Time

If you’ve built a car before, or even had paintwork done on your daily, you’ll appreciate just how expensive the paint process can be. Long gone are the days when you could paint a car at home using nitro cellulose lacquer. Or are they? Lacquer paint may be a thing of the past in most states, but you can still paint a car in your home garage, thanks to Summit Racing’s two-stage urethane paint system.

2/28

The universal 4:1 mixing ratio of Summit’s system, whether you opt for basecoat and clearcoat or single-stage topcoat, is ideal for DIY painters, as the primer, clearcoat, and single-stage topcoat all use the same universal activator. Apart from which color to choose from the extensive range (custom colors aren’t an option) the only decision that has to be made is which activator to use. The fast activator is for use below 70 degrees F, the medium for between 70 and 80 degrees F, and the slow above 80 degrees F. What this means is that you don’t need a heated spray booth, and can paint in your home garage. Just select a reducer that matches the temperature range of the activator. Summit Racing also offers a special zero-VOC medium reducer for use in areas with strict environment compliance regulations, so check your area codes before ordering. If you live in California, this is especially important, as you could be breaking the law by painting your car yourself. However, Summit can’t ship certain products to some areas with strict environmental codes.

3/28While you should have water traps and air filters in the air line, it’s always a good idea to have a filter at the gun too, and the Summit paint starter kit contains a couple of these DeVilbiss filters. It was about time I changed the one on my old suction feed primer gun anyway.

Prior to priming, we used Summit’s wax and grease remover, though a surface wash is also available, as is a fish eye eliminator. This is more important for use when painting over existing paint that has been treated or polished with unknown chemicals, usually containing silicone.

As well as sourcing all our primer, basecoat, and clearcoat from Summit Racing, we also took advantage of their starter kit, as shown in our previous installment, which includes mixing cups, stirrers, masking tape and paper, paint strainers, and air filters for the spray gun. While we’re mentioning spray guns, although we used our old DeVilbiss suction feed gun for priming, we used Summit’s Pro Pack HVLP (high volume, low pressure) gravity feed guns for the basecoat and clearcoats, but more on that next time. For now we’re going to get the pickup in primer.

4/28Summit also provided a painter’s coverall, and this half-mask twin cartridge respirator. Don’t be tempted to spray paint without a decent respirator; you only get one pair of lungs!